Method and apparatus for forming a container

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for forming a container. A mandrel of the apparatus has an enlarged first end portion for reducing the area over which the container blank contacts the mandrel.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,712,184

Flink 1 Jan. 23, 1973 [54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR [56] References Cited FORMING A CONTAINER UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] inventor: Frank B. Fllnk, Overland Park,

K [,5] L693 10/1924 Webber ..93/39.2

ans.

[73] Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company Primary Examiner-Andrew R. .Iuhasz Assistant Examiner--James F. Coan [22] Filed: April 26, 1971 A'wmey Young and Quigg [2]] Appl. No.: 137,445

[57] ABSTRACT 52 us. Cl ..93/39.1 R 93/59 R 93/77 R aPPa'ams and methd A [51] Int Cl 3 1/34 mandrel of the apparatus has an enlarged first end portion for reducing the area over which the container [58} Field of Search ..93/39.l, 39.2, 81, 77, 59 R, blank contacts the mandrel.

10 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures W en PATENTEUJAH23 r973 SHEET 2 BF 3 FIG. 7

FIG. 5

INVENTOR. F. B. FLINK A TTO/PNEYS PATENTEUmea 191s SHEEI 30F 3 zTll INVENTOR. F. B. FLINK BY H H A 7' TORNEYS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A CONTAINER In order to facilitate removal of formed containers from a mandrel of a container-forming machine, for example, or for other general construction or reconstruction of apparatus, it is desirable to provide a ridge, rim or other enlarged portion about the outer circumference of an element having a chamber.

The object of this invention, therefore, resides in a method and apparatus for forming a container.

The apparatus of this invention has first and second holding elements installed through openings on the walls of a mandrel with a material strip passing about the end portion of the mandrel and being secured by said elements and attaching means associated therewith for forming a mandrel having an enlarged first end portion.

Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawings.

The drawings are diagrammatic views of the apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 1 shows a portion of a container-forming mandrel with the apparatus of this invention installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the material strip of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a frontal view of the first retaining element;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a frontal view of the second retaining element;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial frontal view of another embodiment of the second retaining element;

FIG. 9 is a view of an example tool that can be used during installation of the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a frontal view of the apparatus of this invention with a container blank installed thereon.

Referring to FIG. I, a mandrel 2 for forming containers, for example, has a mounting surface 4. The mandrel 2 has walls 6 forming a chamber 8 (better seen in FIG. 2) and first and second end portions 10, 11.

Referring to FIG. I, first and second adjacent openings I2, 14 are formed through the walls 6 and into the chamber 8 at the first end portion 10 of the mandrel 2. It is preferred that said first and second openings I2, 14 be at a common elevation on the mandrel where it is desired to have the enlarged mandrel portion located at a common elevation, but the openings l2, 14 can advantageously be positioned at different elevations in some construction where it is desired to have an enlarged portion which extends downwardly along the mandrel 2. It is also preferred that the first and second openings be spaced a distance relative one to the other as small as practical in order that the enlarged mandrel portion be generally continuous about the mandrel. The close spacing, however, is dictated by several factors such as the magnitude of impact loading during operation and the type of material from which the mandrel is constructed, for example,

but is a distance that can be easily determined by one skilled in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a first retaining element 16 has a longitudinal axis, a head 18, a shaft 20, and an opening 22 that extends through the element 16 along the longitudinal axis thereof. The head 18 is of a diameter larger than its associated mandrel opening 12 in order to maintain the element 16 removably positioned in said opening 12 with the head 18 within or adjacent the mandrel chamber 8. The shaft 20 has a length not greater than the thickness of said mandrel walls 6 about the first opening 12 in order that, in the assembled conditions with the head 18 within the chamber 8 and the shaft 20 inserted within the opening 12, said shaft 20 does not extend beyond an outer surface 24 of the mandrel 2. This construction prevents the retaining element 16 from contacting the container being formed and thereby prevents damage to said container during the formation thereof. In addition to the shaft 20 being of a configuration for insertion through the first opening 12 of the mandrel 2, it is preferred that said shaft 20 be sized such that the shaft fits with close tolerance within said opening 12 in order that the apparatus be of sturdy construction.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, a second retaining element 26 has a longitudinal axis, a head 28, a shaft 30, a first opening 32 that extends through the element 26 along the longitudinal axis thereof, and a second opening 34 that is angularly disposed relative to the first opening 32 and extends from an end 36 of the shaft 30, through a portion of the shaft and into communication with the first opening 32 of the shaft 30 at a location within said shaft 30.

The head 28 is of a larger diameter than its associated mandrel second opening 14 and the shaft 30 has a length not greater than the thickness of the mandrel walls 6 about the second opening 14, is insertable into said opening 14 with the head 28 within or adjacent the mandrel chamber 8, and preferably fits with a close tolerance for the reasons and as set forth above with reference to the first retaining element 16.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a material strip 38 of the apparatus of this invention has first and second end portions 40, 42. The strip 38 has a length (L) sufficient for extending through the opening 22 of the first retaining element 16, about the walls 6 of the first end portion 10 of the mandrel 2 in a direction from the second retaining element 26, through the first opening 32 of the second retaining element 26, and to a location spaced a preselected distance from said second retaining element 26.

That preselected distance is preferably at least about one-half inch in order that the second end portion 42 of the strip 38 can be grasped within the mandrel chamber 8 for pulling the strip into circumferential contact with the walls 6 of the mandrel 2 during attachment thereof.

A first attaching means 46 is associated with the first retaining element 16 for removably attaching the first end portion 40 of the material strip 38 to the first retaining element 16 in the inserted position wherein said first retaining element 16 is inserted in the first opening 12 of the mandrel 2. In order to simplify construction of the apparatus, it is preferred that the first end portion 40 of the material strip 38 have an opening 45 formed therethrough and that the head 18 of the first retaining element 16 has a holding element 44 detachably connected thereto and extending outwardly therefrom and through the material strip opening 45 for maintaining the said strip 38 on said element 16.

A second attaching means 48 is positioned within the second opening 34 of the second retaining element 26 for attaching the second end portion 42 of the material strip 38 to the second retaining element 26 in the installed position wherein said second retaining element 26 is inserted in the second opening 14 of the mandrel 2.

In order to simplify construction, it is preferred that the second opening 34 of the second retaining element 26 be threaded and the second attaching means 48 comprises an elongated element 50 having threads mateable with the threads of the second opening 34 and an end 52 that is of pointed configuration for contacting and maintaining the material strip 38.

Referring to FIG. 8, the second opening 34 can be constructed to intersect and extend a distance beyond the first opening 32 of the second element 26. As stated above, the second opening 34 and shaft 30 are preferably threaded.

In order to assure forcible engagement of the shaft 30 with the strip 38 for holding the strip 38 relative to the second retaining element 26 and the mandrel 2, it is preferred that the second opening 34 intersect the first opening 32 at an angle in the range of about 15 to about 30. At angles greater than about 30, the second retaining element 26 when used for container-forming mandrels can be necessarily excessively large and at angles less than about 14, the strip is not desirably maintained.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a tool that is particularly adapted for installing the apparatus in forcible engagement about the mandrel 2. In some applications, however, the strip 38 may not need to be of such forcible engagement and in such case, the apparatus can be installed without the use of said tool. It should be understood, however, that the tool of FIGS. 9 and 10 is not a part of this invention but is included only for descriptive and educational purposes.

Referring to FIG. 11, a container blank 54 is wrapped about the mandrel 2 in an overlapping relationship. The overlapping portions 56 of the blank are sealed one to the other. A bottom member 58 is inserted into and sealed to the blank 54 to form a bottom to the container. The blank 54 can be wrapped and sealed together and the bottom member 58 can be inserted and sealed to the blank 54 by various means known in the art.

In one particularly useful construction of the apparatus of this invention for forming paperboard containers, said apparatus was of the following construction:

Mandrel:

Outside diameter of walls 4.894 Diameter of mounting surface -5/32" Overall length 6-7/16" Inner diameter 4-5/32" Diameter of first and second openings 5/8" First element: Overall length l3/l6" Diameter of head 3/4" Diameter of shaft 5/8 Width of slot opening [/1 6" Depth of slot opening 5/8" Length of slot opening 12/l6" Second element:

Overall length l3/l6" Diameter of head 3/4" Diameter of shaft 5/8" Width of slot opening Ill 6" Depth of slot opening 5/8" Length of slot opening l3/l6" Angle of intersection of set screw with strip 20 Strip:

Width 1/2" Length l8 l8" Thickness 0.010" Diameter of mounting hole 7/32" Location of hole from one end 1/4" As in the description of the retaining elements 16, 26, it is also preferred that the second opening 34 be countersunk in order that element 50 is maintained within the retaining element 26 in order to preclude damage to the containers being formed.

In the attachment of this apparatus, the first end portion 40 of the material strip 38 is inserted into the first retaining element 16 that is positioned within the first opening 12 of the mandrel 2, and said strip being there secured by the first attaching means 44. The material strip 38 is thereafter wrapped about the mandrel in a direction from the adjacent second retaining element 26 and back to said second retaining element 26. The second end portion is then inserted into the first opening 32 of the second retaining element 26 and the second attaching means activated to attach said strip 38 to said second retaining element 26. Where forcible engagement is desired, the tool shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, or some other device, can grasp the second end portion 42 of the strip 38 within the mandrel chamber 8 and forcibly pull said strip toward the mandrel axis for forcibly urging said strip 38 about the mandrel 2. While so maintaining the strip, the second attaching means is actuated.

By the method of this invention for forming a container, the container blank 54 is positioned and wrapped about the mandrel 2 with the blank 54 contacting only the first and second end portions 10, ll of the mandrel 2. By the container blankcontacting the mandrel 2 over only the areas of the first and second end portions of the blank 54, the force required for removing the formed container from the mandrel 2 is significantly reduced. 1

It is preferred that they container .blank 54 in the wrapped position about the mandrel be spaced a distance from the mandrel middle portion 15 of at least about one-half inch as measured at a location on the mandrel 2 adjacent the first end portion 10 thereof. At separations less than about one-half inch, the type of material generally utilized for forming containers may be sufficiently flexible to contact the mandrel 2 and thereby increase the force required to remove the container.

It is also preferred that the container blank in the wrapped position about the mandrel 2 be in contact with the enlarged first end portion 10 of the mandrel 2 over a distance of at least about one-half inch as measured along the width (W) of the blank 54. Atdistances less than about one-half inch, the bearing forces of the blank 54 upon the first end portion generally will undesirably deform the upper portion of the blank.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a method for forming a container by wrapping a container blank about a mandrel in an overlapping relationship, sealing the overlapping portions of the blank, inserting a bottom member into the sealed blank and sealing the bottom member to the blank, the improvement comprising:

providing a mandrel having first and second end portions and a middle portion with said first end portion of the mandrel being of greater circumference than the middle and second end portions and said middle and second end portions being of substantially common circumference; and

wrapping a container blank about the mandrel with said blank contacting only the first and second end portions of the mandrel for reducing the area of the blank in contact with the mandrel for decreasing the force required for removing the formed container from the mandrel.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the container blank in the wrapped position about the mandrel is spaced a distance from the middle portion of the mandrel of at least about one-half inch at a location adjacent the first end portion of the mandrel.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the container blank in the wrapped position about the mandrel is in contact with the enlarged first end portion of the mandrel over a distance of at least about one-half inch as measured along the width of the blank.

4. An apparatus for forming an enlarged first end portion on a container-forming mandrel having walls forming a chamber with first and second adjacent openings formed through the walls into the chamber at the first end portion of said mandrel, comprising:

a first retaining element having a longitudinal axis, a head, and a shaft, said head being of a diameter larger than an associated one of the mandrel openings and said shaft having a length not greater than the thickness of said mandrel walls at said associated mandrel opening and being of the configuration for insertion into said associated mandrel opening with said head being positioned adjacent the mandrel chamber, said first retaining element having an opening extending therethrough along the longitudinal axis thereof; second retaining element having a longitudinal axis, a head, and a shaft, said head being of a diameter larger than the associated other mandrel opening and said shaft having an end and a length not greater than the thickness of said mandrel walls at said associated mandrel opening and being of a configuration for insertion into said associated mandrel opening with said head positioned adjacent the mandrel chamber, said second retaining element having a first opening extending therethrough along the longitudinal axis thereof,

and a second opening angularly disposed relative to the first opening and extending from the shaft end, through a portion of the shaft, and into communication with the first opening at a location within the shaft;

a material strip having first and second end portions and being of a length sufficient for extending through the opening of the first retaining element, about the walls of the first end portion of the mandrel in a direction from a second retaining element, through the first opening of the second retaining element; and to a location spaced a preselected distance from said retaining element; first means for attaching the first end portion of the material strip to the first retaining element with said first retaining element inserted in the first mandrel opening; and

second means positioned within the second opening of the second retaining element for attaching the second end portion of the material strip to the second retaining element with said second retaining element inserted in the second mandrel opening.

5. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, including said material strip in the installed position thereof extending within the mandrel chamber a distance from the second retaining mandrel of at least one-half inch.

6. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the first end portion of the material strip has an opening formed therethrough and the first means comprises a holding element detachably connected to the head of the first retaining element, extending outwardly therefrom, and through the opening of the material strip.

7. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the second opening of the second retaining element intersects the first opening of said second retaining element at an angle in the range of about 15 to about 30.

8. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the second opening is threaded and the second means comprises an elongated element having threads mateable with the threads of the second opening and an end of pointed configuration.

9. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the second opening intersects and extends beyond the first opening of the second retaining element, said second opening being threaded and the second means comprises an elongated element having threads mateable with the threads of the second opening and a length sufficient for extending through the second opening a distance beyond the first opening.

10. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the material strip has a width of one-half inch and a thickness of 0.010 inch. 

1. In a method for forming a container by wrapping a container blank about a mandrel in an overlapping relationship, sealing the overlapping portions of the blank, inserting a bottom member into the sealed blank and sealing the bottom member to the blank, the improvement comprising: providing a mandrel having first and second end portions and a middle portion with said first end portion of the mandrel being of greater circumference than the middle and second end portions and said middle and second end portions being of substantially common circumference; and wrapping a container blank about the mandrel with said blank contacting only the first and second end portions of the mandrel for reducing the area of the blank in contact with the mandrel for decreasing the force required for removing the formed container from the mandrel.
 2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the container blank in the wrapped position about the mandrel is spaced a distance from the middle portion of the mandrel of at least about one-half inch at a location adjacent the first end portion of the mandrel.
 3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the container blank in the wrapped position about the mandrel is in contact with the enlarged first end portion of the mandrel over a distance of at least about one-half inch as measured along the width of the blank.
 4. An apparatus for forming an enlarged first end portion on a container-forming mandrel having walls forming a chamber with first and second adjacent openings formed through the walls into the chamber at the first end portion of said mandrel, comprising: a first retaining element having a longitudinal axis, a head, and a shaft, said head being of a diameter larger than an associated one of the mandrel openings and said shaft having a length not greater than the thickness of said mandrel walls at said associated mandrel opening and being of the configuration for insertion into said associated mandrel opening with said head being positioned adjacent the mandrel chamber, said first retaining element having an opening extending therethrough along the longitudinal axis thereof; a second retaining element having a longitudinal axis, a head, and a shaft, said head being of a diameter larger than the associated other mandrel opening and said shaft having an end and a length not greater than the thickness of said mandrel walls at said associated mandrel opening and being of a configuration for insertion into said associated mandrel opening with said head positioned adjacent the mandrel chamber, said second retaining element having a first opening extending therethrough along the longitudinal axis thereof, and a second opening angularly disposed relative to the first opening and extending from the shaft end, through a portion of the shaft, and into communication with the first opening at a location within the shaft; a material strip having first and second end portions and being of a length sufficient for extending through the opening of the first retaining element, about the walls of the first end portion of the mandrel in a direction from a second retaining element, through the first opening of the second retaining element; and to a location spaced a preselected distance from said retaining element; first means for attaching the first end portion of the material strip to the first retaining element with said first retaining element inserted in the first mandrel opening; and second means positioned within the second opening of the second retaining element for attaching the second end portion of the material strip to the second retaining element with said second retaining element inserted in the second mandrel opening.
 5. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, including said material strip in the installed position thereof extending within the mandrel chamber a distance from the second retaining mandrel of at least one-half inch.
 6. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the first end portion of the material strip has an opening formed therethrough and the first means comprises a holding element detachably connected to the head of the first retaining element, extending outwardly therefrom, and through the opening of the material strip.
 7. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the second opening of the second retaining element intersects the first opening of said second retaining element at an angle in the range of about 15* to about 30*.
 8. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the second opening is threaded and the second means comprises an elongated element having threads mateable with the threads of the second opening and an end of pointed configuration.
 9. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the second opening intersects and extends beyond the first opening of the second retaining element, said second opening being threaded and the second means comprises an elongated element having threads mateable with the threads of the second opening and a length sufficient for extending through the second opening a distance beyond the first opening.
 10. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the material strip has a width of one-half inch and a thickness of 0.010 inch. 